
15 people have been arrested for helping immigrants illegally cross the border today (October 15). Two of those arrested and suspected of having the main role in this traffic are Ahmetd Kensoëa and Dashamir Kullaj.
The director of Tirana's police appeared in a press conference to give the details of the coded operation "Damascus" undertaken after 12 months of investigations since 2023, together with the Prosecutor's Office.
24 suspects were investigated, of which 15 were arrested and 19 of them with the measure of "prison arrest". 5 were arrested earlier and 4 are still wanted. Among the suspects, 3 are foreign citizens, Egyptian and Syrian.
Vocaj, when asked by journalists, said that "there are no State Police employees involved in this investigation and trafficking".
Immigrants came regularly from the Rhineland and Greece. Afterwards, they used Albania as a transit to go to the EU countries and the illegal crossing was made from Hani i Hoti in Shkodër and from Morina to Kukës. The immigrants were mostly Egyptians and Syrians. According to the sources, the value that was taken from the traffickers was up to 1500 euros.
He also explained that the group is suspected to be organized and the investigations may be transferred to SPAK.
"It is not a simple collaboration and there are special forms of activity and it will be determined by which one will be investigated, by the Special Prosecutor's Office or the Tirana Prosecutor's Office", said the chief police, among other things.
Shqiptarja.com reveals the names of the 15 arrested.
The names of the arrested
Rafael Demaj,
Enriko Gjonaj,
Mehmet Bregu,
Arnold Kirçi,
Khaled Shahin,
Ahmed Kensova,
Dashamir Kullaj,
Mohammed Alfahel,
Nazmi Avxhija,
Juljan Avxhija,
Florenc Avxhija,
Klajvert Avxhija,
Klaudi Mano,
Trilind Gjana,
Elton Ukaj,
Eurel Ukaj,
Kelti Xhani,
Kastriot Xhani,
Ilirjan Xhaferri,
Mikel Stefani
Statement to the media by the director of the police of Tirana
"I am here today, together with the Deputy Director for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Serious Crimes, the Deputy Director for Public Order and Security, and the Chief of the Narcotics Investigation Sector, to present the results of a 2023 criminal proceeding and the finalization of the coded police operation "DAMASK".
The Section for the Investigation of Illegal Traffic in the Tirana Local Police Directorate, following successive operations for the prevention, identification and suppression of criminal activity in the field of illegal traffic, has referred the materials to the Prosecutor's Office at the Court of First Instance of Jurisdiction General Tirana, which has registered criminal proceedings no. 5431, year 2023.
After a 12-month investigation, within this proceeding, it became possible to individualize the criminal responsibility for 24 subjects of this criminal proceeding. The Court of First Instance of Tirana General Jurisdiction has set the security measure "Arrest in prison" in absentia, for 19 citizens.
During the previous stages of the investigation, 5 other citizens were arrested in the act, of which 3 are being investigated with the security measure "Arrest in prison", without a deadline, while 2 with the security measure "Compulsion to appear before the Judicial Police" .
4 citizens have been declared wanted. According to the information we have, 3 of them are abroad and urgent procedures are being followed to declare them internationally wanted.
During the investigations carried out as part of this operation, 10 vehicles, around 20,000 euros and 500,000 ALL, 24 mobile phones, 10 passports and photocopies of passports of Egyptian and Syrian citizens were seized.
The citizens implicated in this criminal activity have provided assistance for illegal border crossing to many citizens, mainly from the Middle East, who entered the RS from Greece and transited towards the northern borders of Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo.
During the investigation, it was documented beyond any reasonable doubt that foreign citizens are the organizers and financiers of this criminal activity. During the development of the investigations, stimulating actions were used as well as special investigative techniques with the support of the Directorate of the Special Operational Force in the Department of Criminal Police in the General Directorate of the State Police.
In one episode, during the investigation, he cooperated with the investigative show "Piranjat".
Likewise, in the final phase of the operation, it cooperated with the Local Police Directorate of Kukës, Durrës, Shkodër and with the Sarandë Police Station, in the Local Police Directorate of Vlora.
I take the opportunity to publicly thank the Illegal Traffic Investigation Section at DVP Tirana, for the professionalism and dedication shown during this investigation. Likewise, we publicly thank the Special Forces Sector for Special Operations and Research, the "Eagle" Special Forces Sector for the support they have given to this investigation during all phases of its development.
I also want to thank the Prosecutor Mr. Ritvan Suka and the head of the Pokuroria at the Court of First Instance of the General Juiridction of Tirana, Mr. Arenc Çela, for the ongoing management and control of this investigation.
The Local Directorate of the Tirana Police is and remains maximally committed to the identification, prevention and attack of all criminal activities in any form of their manifestation".